Navy flags ‘conflict of interest’ in Asian boxing squad selection; BFI denies charges

A senior official of the Indian Navy has questioned the selection of an Army boxer over a Navy pugilist in India’s squad for the upcoming Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

According to the reported squad composition, nine of the 10 selected boxers are from the Indian Army, with the final spot going to a civilian boxer from Rajasthan. Navy boxer Hitesh Gulia missed out in the 70kg category to Army’s Deepak.

In a letter to Sports Secretary Hari Ranjan Rao, Vice Admiral in charge of personnel raised concerns over the selection process, alleging a “conflict of interest” and “lack of neutrality.” He claimed that members of the selection committee appointed by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) were linked to the same organisation whose athletes were under consideration.

The letter also pointed out that Gulia had beaten Deepak at the Inter-Services Championship last year and at the 2026 Nationals, questioning why he was ranked lower despite what was described as a better track record. Concerns were also raised over the absence of open trials and the alleged non-availability of bout recordings.

The Navy official has sought government intervention to review the selection process, warning that similar issues ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics had contributed to India returning without a boxing medal.

BFI rejects allegations

The Boxing Federation of India has strongly denied the allegations. Executive Director Arun Malik said there was no Army representation on the selection panel, apart from men’s head coach CA Kuttappa, who he noted had retired from service years ago.

Malik said the decision was based purely on performance, adding that Deepak had outperformed rivals during assessment camps and sparring sessions. “We would be foolish to pick anyone other than the best,” he said.

The federation also clarified that all evaluation bouts were recorded and shared with the Sports Authority of India, but such recordings are not typically shared with athletes as they are part of internal assessment rather than competitive matches.

According to the BFI, the sparring sessions are designed to evaluate boxers across multiple parameters, not to declare outright winners, and selections are made based on overall performance metrics.